Lost board. Many questions.

lawnmower · Since 14 Dec 2007 153 Posts Stoked

Riding upwind of Bob's beach Sunday at Stevenson when the left hand hook for the spreader bar came undone on my brand new DaKine Fusion harness. Had to ditch board, drag back to shallow water, attach harness, and drag back out looking for board. Another kiter pointed to it from 100yards away, but when I got to there I couldn't see it. Dragged up wind for a while, got too cold, never saw it again.

The Damn Lady says that they might not check the damn grates for months. Anyone ever find a lost board at Stevenson?

My kid thought I should have fired the safety on my T2, reatached the harness and then the loop. I'm afraid that if I take tension off the lines the kite will invert, and I'll be in deeper shit. Any thoughts on how to handle a onesided harness?

pdxmonkeyboy · Mon Jun 09, 08 2:55 pm

Your kid is close, but not really. I have had one side come off the SB before. I have done used both of these methods..

A. park the kite at twelve, let go of the bar and reef on SB and hook it back in. (if it is really light your kite can hindenburg but new kites don't really have this problem.

B. set the kite down in the water at the edge of the window (re-launch position). Grab SB and put back in..relaunch. In high winds I would suggest this method.

although it feels freaky and at the time your sure that something is going to give way any moment. Having only one side of the SB attached is not the end of the world. More of an hassle than a risk.

Live and learn. Even if you lost it, your going to maintain your pride as you didn't have a go joe on it. I saw Diggy sporty the go-joe, or at least I thought it was Diggy. It made me very sad.

I'm sure everyone will keep there eyes out for the board. What kind was it???

Reaper356 · Since 10 Dec 2006 781 Posts Salem / LC Oregon Opinionated

Is your harness trying to tell you it's time to go unhooked?

Diggy · Since 25 Nov 2006 342 Posts Gorge to Coast Obsessed

Yes, I am in fact riding my new SX with a Joe attached, and I thought that I was being shunned.

Actually I put it on at Jones beach for a solo session, figured no one would see me so had nothing to loose. Then my kite inverted and lines wrapped around the kite, had to pull myself down one line to the kite and unwrap it, then re-launch. Thanks to the Go-Joe I was able to see my new board and catch up to my board which had floated about 75 yards up-wind. Without the Joe I figure the the board would have traveled much further in the current, and been harder to spot.

So the math works out to be;

Price of Go-Joe = $60

Price of Monkeyboy Ridicule = Freebee

Price of new SX = $650

I'm up $590 bucks so far, and thats all the pride I need.

Now if I lost the board with the Joe ($710), that would be hard on the pride and you'd find me with my head burried in the sand.

Anyway, that is my testamonial for the Go-Joe.

~dig

Reaper356 · Since 10 Dec 2006 781 Posts Salem / LC Oregon Opinionated

Isn't something in there suppose to be priceless?

tonyb · Mon Jun 09, 08 3:34 pm

What PDMB said. Put the kite down on the edge of the window on the same side that your harness is unhooked. This pulls things in the right direction.

Get the kite down, pull the depower a little and set the sliding stopper so the kite just sits there. Should be able to take both hands off the bar then deal with the unruly harness.

If you still have too much pull on the harness to get it back together double check that your leash is attached to your harness properly and that the quick release is within reach, then hook the leash into the chicken loop and take the chicken loop off your spreader bar. Let the leash hold the kite while you re-do the harness.

The main thing is to take your time and think through all the steps before doing them. Getting the kite down on the water puts things in a pretty safe mode and lets you sort out all kinds of problems.

If you're riding with a buddy or other friends try to signal to them to go after your board if it gets caught in the current.

Tony

SalmonSlayer · Since 27 Nov 2005 648 Posts Addicted **CGKA Member**

Couldn't you just put the kite in the water and unhook the kite? The kite would sit in the water depowered on the leash while you were reattaching the spreader bar with no tension on it.

The same thing happened to me once and it seem to work for me. Maybe I missed something.

Paul

Reaper356 · Since 10 Dec 2006 781 Posts Salem / LC Oregon Opinionated

Here's a related Go-Joe tip:

Link

lawnmower · Since 14 Dec 2007 153 Posts Stoked

I think what Tony said makes the most sense. I had the kite in the water on the hooked in side and didn't take a the time to think about moving the kite to the other side so it wouldn't pull so hard. Next time I'll try to use the brain.

Anyway, it's a yellow 151 SX with my name (Stringer) and phone number on it.

Guess I'll have to learn to ride the remaining surfboard.

mschulz · Since 29 May 2007 530 Posts Reno, NV Addicted

How is the SB comming undone? Is this something that is comon with Seat harneses?

pdxmonkeyboy · Mon Jun 09, 08 9:31 pm

Reaper, THAT was priceless.

"look at me, I'm treading water"

lawnmower · Since 14 Dec 2007 153 Posts Stoked

The SB on a seat harness is no different that a waist, just a hook that connects to the SB. The harness did come with two white plastic split cylinders that snap onto the SB to prevent unhooking (replaces the old screws). I was instructed to snap the right side and leave the left side free to get in/out. Looks like I'll have to rethink the one side free concept.

If I ever come up with the $$$ for a new twin tip I'll have to look into the GO-JOE.

Mark · Tue Jun 10, 08 8:13 am

Keep the one side complete with the white "keeper". Leave the other side "free". I think your problem is the straps are not tight enough. Once you get the dakine straps wet they seem to loosen up a bit. Give them a secondary tug. You should be fine.

trevorsmith · Since 25 Apr 2005 501 Posts PDX Addicted

I have the Dakine board shorts but like to take of the SB when I'm not kiteboarding so I don't use the retainer clips. Just beat the SB hooks down on your harness just large enough so the SB fits in, and you should never have issues. I find that the SB hooks have a slight outward taper on them.

stringy · Since 23 Jun 2006 1738 Posts vancouver XTreme Poster

I use the harness shorts and haven't experienced this sort of issue. I have gone out on the water without tightening the webbing straps. What I do is just let momentarily let go of the bar and grab your front lines to take pressure off the spreader bar and then give the webbing straps a good tug. They are difficult to tighten if you have any tension on the spreader bar.

jbruxer · Since 24 Jul 2005 398 Posts Beaverton, OR Obsessed

Hey Lawnmower, I think I saw you that day. I was riding around upwind with you near that little island (red waroo). After I noticed you body dragging around for a bit, I figured that you were looking for a board. I kept upwind for quite some time but didnt see anything. I hope your board finds its way back to you.

wylieflyote · Tue Jun 10, 08 9:31 am

I also had this happen while kiting alone in southern Mexico.
What I find to be a big help with these, and other problems, in lieu of a GoJoe, I wear a second kite leash. It doesn't look stupid (I hope) and when I've got tangles, kitemares, I just use the extra leash to secure my board so I can give the kite my undivided attention. Note: This only works with slowly evolving troubles; obviously it's no help in death spirals.

Kip